


𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨 🁡 𝐴 𝑅𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐸𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦

by Adrenalineshots, sonshineandshowers, TheFibreWitch



Series: Domino 🁡 [22]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Case Fic, Digital Art, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gothic fiction, Grief, Hallucinations, Harassment, Health Emergency, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Loss, Mental Health Issues, Metafiction, Murder Mystery, Nightmares, Surrealism, Trauma, Unreliable Narrator, Video, a lot of really strange stuff that happens in altered states of consciousness, anxiousness, canon minor character death, reader-driven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:00:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26504050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adrenalineshots/pseuds/Adrenalineshots, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonshineandshowers/pseuds/sonshineandshowers, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFibreWitch/pseuds/TheFibreWitch
Summary: Selecting 𝐴 𝑅𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐸𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 from the bookshelf, Malcolm travels through his own mind.Read this story at:https://www.thedominostory.com/#a-rose-for-emilyThis book is one part of the Domino series. If you have not yet read thePrefaceorIntroduction, please head there first.
Relationships: Eve Blanchard/Malcolm Bright
Series: Domino 🁡 [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926451
Kudos: 1
Collections: Domino 🁡, Prodigal Son Big Bang 2020 - Saturday Posts





	𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨 🁡 𝐴 𝑅𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐸𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jameena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jameena/gifts), [MissScorp](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissScorp/gifts), [ProcrastinatingSab](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProcrastinatingSab/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Rose for Emily](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/685345) by William Faulkner. 



> This book is one part of the Domino series. If you have not yet read the [Preface](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26497927/chapters/64577434#workskin) or [Introduction](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26497927/chapters/64588537#workskin), please head there first.
> 
> Betaed by the wonderful [Jameena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jameena/), [MissScorp](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissScorp/), and [ProcrastinatingSab](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProcrastinatingSab/).
> 
> Credit to the creators and their works that inspired and were referenced in this work:  
>  **— Inspiration:**[A Rose for Emily](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rose_for_Emily) \- William Faulkner  
>  **— Cover Song:**[Mr. Sandman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbPsIWto5PY) \- SYML

[](https://www.thedominostory.com/images/full/a-rose-for-emily.jpg) |   
---|---  
  
Every evening, Malcolm has the same routine. Wash up, brush his teeth, slide in next to Eve, strap into his restraints, put in his mouthguard, and not sleep.

Sometimes, he watches Eve’s chest rise and fall with her breaths. Sometimes, he looks at the ceiling, imagining what his office looks like from that vantage point, what the rooftop garden looks like above it. Sometimes, he replays the day, recounting what he did wrong and shaming himself into trying not to do it again.

It is tiresome going to bed every day and not sleeping. His doctor says to get out of bed, walk around, and try some tea, all in an attempt to reset his brain into trying to sleep again so his mind doesn’t make a habit of associating his bed with things other than sleep. Having already experienced the first-hand dangers of napping without restraints, he’s not about to chance getting up and accidentally dozing off. He’d already cornered Eve at knifepoint once — he isn’t about to chance it again.

Maybe he should put glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. That way he could look up and make constellations in his late night waking moments. Or perhaps try a few more podcasts so he could learn new things without disturbing Eve. Put his wakeful time to use.

He gives up when the alarm sounds with a song that doesn’t quite feel cheery and heads for the bathroom. When he comes out in his suit, Eve’s gone to work. He feeds Sunshine, and the two of them have breakfast together, she fresh fruit and he a cup of coffee.

It never feels repetitive, even though it’s the same routine every day. Malcolm needs it, needs something to stay steady when the rest of his world feels so out of control. Life is difficult to manage without it.

In a surprisingly short period of time, he also doesn’t remember what life was like before Eve. She’s infiltrated every aspect of his life, is on his mind as much as a case he’s chasing a lead on, yet she’s different. He doesn’t need her like work — he chooses her.

Gil greets him at work with, “You look tired.” JT and Dani have extra concern on their faces. Wherever Malcolm walks around the precinct, it’s like he’s being followed by extra pairs of eyes. What they want from him, he has no idea. He’d like them to go, but asking that to happen will likely cause more red flags than is worthwhile.

“Your mother planned another fundraiser for next week,” Gil says, stopping at Malcolm’s desk.

Malcolm nods, letting the function pass like many of the others. He’ll end up going when she tells him it’s required and drags him there when it isn’t a battle he wants to fight any longer.

“Can I invite you over for dinner?” Gil asks. “Scrabble is looking for an opponent.”

Malcolm keeps playing with the papers in front of him as if he can actually concentrate. “You don’t like Scrabble.”

“You do.”

“You’ve gotta have something better to do with your evening than entertain me.” Something that doesn’t involve Malcolm leaving his loft.

“No. Appease an old man.”

Malcolm’s gut reminds him he’s being a bother, that he can be a big boy and go home by himself. “I should probably feed Sunshine,” he says, and he hears how lame it sounds as it comes off his tongue.

Gil’s eyebrows tell him he’s not believing it, either. “Feed your friend, then come join me,” he says.

Malcolm sighs, knowing it’s no longer a request but a statement. “Gil, I’m not sleeping,” he tries honesty.

“I know. Figured I’d give you your old bed. See if it helps.”

Is there a single thing he can say that’ll get Gil off his case? “Eve’ll be waiting for me.”

“Malcolm — “

“ _Okay_ ,” Malcolm says, louder than necessary, then lowers his voice, knowing Gil doesn’t deserve his frustration. “Okay.”

“Come over whenever you want. Or I can drop you home after work — whatever’s easier.”

“I’ve got it.”

“Okay. Take it easy,” Gil says, then heads back to his office.

Even though Malcolm works like he has eight spidery arms sorting through information for his profile, the workday doesn’t fly by. Time in general has been a distant concept for him, moments sometimes stretching on in his brain like hours. By the time Gil taps his desk as a cue that it’s time to head out, Malcolm feels like he’s done two days worth of work. Compared to most people, he probably has.

Malcolm goes home, showers, and pulls sweatpants and a t-shirt on. His bed calls to him, encouraging him that for a moment, just one moment, he could take a brief rest before he heads to Gil’s. He slides in next to Eve, straps into his restraints, and puts in his mouthguard, being safe just in case. Turning to face her, he runs his fingers through her hair. “Like an angel,” he says, his fingers touching her grey countenance.

She doesn’t talk back, doesn’t offer him cherry muffins, doesn’t roll her eyes at his horrible jokes. Her clothing is so white, so peaceful after having taken a horrid swan dive.

How many days of decay will it take for her skin to fall off her face? Will he come home one day to nothing? He hugs the collection of bones tighter, determined to keep her as close to him as possible.

He can’t leave. Clinging to his usual routine, he attempts sleep, yet spends more time looking all over the room.

“Bright?” Malcolm hears from Gil, and he realizes he must’ve drifted to sleep at some point.

“Eve’s resting,” Malcolm mumbles.

“Kid.” Gil rubs his neck, his shoulder, and it eases Malcolm awake a little bit.

Malcolm opens his eyes in an attempt to figure out what Gil wants.

“You were screaming,” Gil says. “You missed dinner.”

“Let Eve rest — we can talk in the kitchen,” Malcolm says, unclipping his restraints and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

Gil looks far too serious, and both of his hands grip Malcolm’s shoulders with a strength that is borderline painful. “Bright, Eve’s dead.”

Malcolm knows that.

Yet she remains.

— ◌◯◌ —

The primary person talking back and forth with Tech, Dani buzzes when a fresh email appears in her inbox. The contents share that they’ve finished their analysis of Veronica’s email communications at work. Knowing how much digital communication they exchange in the course of working a case, she can only hope Tech has been able to whittle down the emails that were subpoenaed from the publisher.

Perusing a link from Tech, she digests the contents for a few minutes before sharing with JT. “I’ve got the emails,” she announces, reading from the screen. “Top communications were her editorial assistant, staff, her boss, and authors.”

JT taps a few keys as he finishes what he is doing, then spins around in his chair. “A. S. Harper one of them?”

“Two of them.”

“Two?”

“Looks like she changed her email address.” _Moving, no forwarding address_ comes to mind, and though she’d considered it after her particularly rough detox, she’d never followed through with it. As embarrassed as she was to go back to work after the misstep, it was where her family was. Where she needed to be to heal.

JT leans back in his chair, stretching his arms over his head. “How far back did they go?”

“Six month, one year, and five year views.” Sliced into a fancy chart where she could see the differences at the slide of a pointer.

“When’d the email change?” He yawns, covering his mouth with his hand.

“Two are on the five year view.” She covers her own mouth, catching his yawn. Vaguely tired, the promise of new leads keeps her energy up even though her reserves are running low.

“Flagged contents?”

“Five-hundred emails.”

“A hundred a year?”

“You know they get plenty of false positives.” The total count is on the low side compared to results she’s seen in the past. At least they’re not talking thousands.

“We need unis.” He rubs his eyes.

Extra help would get them to actionable outcomes faster. Her thoughts jump to which officers would be the best match for the task. “Do I tell them Gil okayed it?”

“Yeah.” As she starts to walk away, he adds, “I’m sorry, I’ve gotta take twenty.”

She pauses and offers a nod of understanding. They both continue to look presentable, pulled together in the professional environment, yet the shadows under JT’s eyes and his slow movements as his weary bones creak bely an exhaustion that both of them are wary to discuss, less it weigh them down to the point it impacts their productivity. “No need to apologize.”

“Gonna be in Gil’s office. Get me if you need anything.”

Dani nods and continues into the bullpen to get them some help crawling through Veronica’s emails.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Head back to the [Bookshelf](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26497927/chapters/64588570#workskin) to pick another book. :)


End file.
